Shares in Yum Brands surged in post-market trading on Monday after the company released first quarter sales data in China. The parent of KFC and Pizza Hut saw same store sales fall 20% in the two-month quarter, an improvement over their 25% estimate, fueling a rally that saw shares rise nearly 7% by 4:44 PM in New York.

Yum, which generally takes January and February as its first quarter in China, saw same store sales in the world’s second largest economy fall by 20%. Yum has taken a hit in China, where they derive a big portion of their revenues after regulators started a probe into allegedly high chemical levels in their raw chicken.

February same store sales actually inched up 2% in China, on the back of flat numbers at KFC and a 13% surge in Pizza Hut, as Chinese consumers ramped up purchases around the Lunar New Year. Most of the quarterly declines occurred in January, the company said.

Yum had warned investors on February 4, noting earnings would probably take a big hit in the first half of the year given the probe by Shanghai authorities, as my colleague Abram Brown reported. The company expected same store sales in China, its growth engine, to take a 25% tumble.

Investors have looked at Yum over the past few years as a proxy for Chinese growth, taking a tumble either when sales numbers looked weak or when the Chinese economy appeared poised for a slowdown. Starbucks, for example, has also derived growth from the world’s second largest economy; in its latest earnings report, the company surged after reporting 28% jump in China/Asia-Pacific revenues.

McDonald’s, the world’s premier fast food restaurant manager, saw sales in its Asia-Pacific/Middle East unit fall 1.6% in February, worse than analysts estimated. Burger King Worldwide hasn't announced its February sales yet, but executives have indicated their intention to open 1,000 locations in China over the next five to seven years, according to Trade the News. Other major names in the sector like Dunkin' Brands and Chipotle decided to focus on the U.S., rather than on China and other emerging markets, for growth.